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(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 1. G. L. SNYDER. MULTIPLE CYLINDER ENGINE.

No. 423,398. Patented Mar. 11, 1890.

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O. L. SNYDER. MULTIPLE UYLINDER ENGINE.

Patented Mar. 11, 1890.-

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(No Model.)

0. L. SNYDER.

MULTIPLE CYLINDER ENGINE.

No. 423,398. Patented Mar. 11, 1890.

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(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 4.

0. L. SNYDER. MULTIPLE CYLINDER ENGINE.

No. 423,398. Patented Mar. 11, 1890.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES L. SNYDER, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- I-IALF TOISAAC M. RIDGE, OF SAME PLACE.

MULTIPLE-CYLINDER ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 423,398, dated March11, 1890.

Application filed April 20, 1889- Serial No. 308,020. (No model.)

T0 at whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CHARLES L. SNYDER, of Kansas City, in the county ofJackson and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Multiple-Cylinder Engines; and I do hereby declare thefol lowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains tomake and use the same.

My invention relates to an improvement in multiple-cylinder engines.

The object is to provide an engine which shall be very compact,perfectly balanced, and at the same time simple and economical.

Vith these ends in view my invention consists in certain features ofconstruction and combinations of parts, as will be hereinafterdescribed, and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a View of the engine in endelevation. Fig. 2 is a view of the same in side elevation. Fig. 3 is avertical longitudinal section through the cylinders and easing. Fig.4 isavertical transverse section through one of the cylinders and valves.Fig. 5 is a horizontal section through the cylinders, and Figs. 6, 7, 8,9, 10, 11, and 12 are enlarged views of parts in detail.

A represents a hollow base, in the ends of which journal-boxes a aresecured for the support of the engine-shaft B, journaled therein. Thejournal-boxes a are provided with bushings b,of brass or other suitablemetal, which may be renewed from time to time as they become worn.

The engine-shaft B is provided with three cranks C, the shaft beingfurther supported between the cranks by pillars c, fixed to or formedintegral with the base A. The several bearings for the engine-shaft arebored true and are perfectly aligned.

To the top of the base A a casting coniprising three upright cylinders DD D is bolted. Chambers d are left between the cylinders, which serveaseXhaust-cl1ambers,the two communicating with a common exhaust-pipe cl.

The casting which comprises the cylinders and exhaustchambers isprovided at top and bottom with a laterally-projecting flange d whichserves as a convenient means for its attachment to the adjacent parts.

To the top of the casting comprising the cylinders a casting E issecured, the same bein g provided with seats for three rotary valves F FF and with ports f and f, leading, respectively, to the cylinders andexhaustchambers. The ports f and f are in each instance separate fromeach oth er and lead from diiterent portions of the valve-seat, theone'to the end of the cylinder and the other to the exhaust-chamberbetween the cylinders. The two exhaust-ports f from the seats of thevalves F and F lead to the same exhaustchamber, the one between thecylinders. D and D, and the exhaust-port f from the seat of the valve Fleads to the exhaust-chamber between the cylinders D and D The valves FF F are slightly tapered and are pressed gently into their tapered seatsby springs G, inserted between their heads and the inner ends of themale glands g of the stridingboxes, in which the valve-stems are seated,while too great pressure is guarded against by set-screws g, whichextend through the glands of the stuffing-boxes at the opposite ends ofthe valves and bear against the ends of the valve-stems. The valves arethus held in the most delicate adjustment and undue frictional wear isentirely avoided.

Each of the taper rotary valves F F F is provided with a steam-inletport H and steamexhaust port h, extending transversely there through, asshown, and so located that as the valve is rocked in its seat the portstherethrough will alternately open communication between the steam chestand port leading to the cylinder and close the exhaust and opencommunication between the exhaust-chamber and port leading to thecylinder and close the steam-inlet.

The casting in which the valves are seated is inclosed within a sidecasing I, through which the valve-stems 01 extend and to which thestuffing-boxes are secured, and a top plate K is bolted to the casing I,forming a steamchest common to all the valves. A steam-inlet pipe 7tenters the top plate K, and a valve under the influence of a governor kof any well-known or approved construction is provided to control theadmission of steam to the chest.

The valve-operating shaft L is journaled in suitable brackets Z,extending upwardly from the base, and is provided with three cranks Z,set in radial planes one hundred and twenty degrees apart. On thewrist-pins of the cranks Z the heads m of the connecting-rods M arejournaled.

()n the projecting ends of the valve-stem 2'- operating-arms N,terminating in a pair of curved clamping-jaws n, are secured by means ofa set-screw n, for drawing the jaws together snugly about the stems, andon the opposite ends of the arms Nconnecting-heads n are mounted,preferably by lock-nuts 07. The connecting-rods M have a looseconnection at each end with the heads on and 11 to compensate for thevarying positions which the rods assume as the valve-operating shaft Lis rotated. s

The engine-shaft communicates its revolutions to the valve-operatingshaft by means of three intermeshing gearwheels O 0 0 the wheels 0 0being secured on the engine and valve-operating shafts, respectively,and the wheel 0' being mounted on a stud-axle fixed to the base. Thegear-Wheel O is fixed to a sleeve-hub 0, which is adapted to slide uponthe shaft L, but which is locked against a rotary motion thereon bymeans of a lug 0' or other suitable locking device fixed to the shaft.The end of the sleeve-hub 0 is provided with two slots or recesses 0adapted to receive the lugs 0 and located at such a distance apart thatwhen the gear-wheel O is turned from a position where one of the slotsengages the lug to a position where the other of the slots engages thelug the relative positions of the valves and pistons will be such as toreverse the motion of the engine. The wheel 0 is held in its normalposition by means of a spring-cushion P on the outer end of the shaft L,and the engine'may at any time be reversed by simply sliding the 'wheel0 out against the spring-cushion P,

turning it to bring the other slot into engagement with the locking-lug,and allowing it to slide back. The opposite end of the valveoperatingshaft is provided with a pulley p, from which a band 1) extends to thegovernorshaft.

The pistons Q Q Q in the respective cylinders D D D are of cup form andhave an extended bearing within the cylinders, their exterior surfacesextending nearly or quite 1 two-thirds the length of the cylinder,thereby admitting of an effective steam-tight joint without greatfriction due to packing, and also elfectually preventing a wabbling n10-tion. WVithin the piston proper a cup-shaped i bushing 41 isscrewed andlocked by a small screw q, tapped through the face of the piston.

The piston-rods R R R are loosely mounted at their upper ends on pins r,which extend through the walls of the pistons and bushings, the oppositesides of the piston-rod about the pins having a close fit against theinner walls of the bushings. The wear may thus be taken up by renewingthe bushings q, and the pistons, being driven from points at or abovethe centers of their bearing-faces, are entirely free from any tendencyto cramp. The lower ends of the piston-rods are fastened to thewrist-pins on the cranks by half-bearings held together and to the mainrod by clamp-nuts r on the threaded ends of stayrods or pins r Abalance-wheel S is secured to the end of the engine-shaft, as is usual.

An outlet 8 is provided in the base for the overflow of the drip. v

The three valves arranged to follow one anothers motions at one-third ofa revolution apart will cause one of the three pistons to be receivingthe full effect of the live steam, another to be receiving the effect ofthe steam working expansively, the live steam having been cut off, andthe third to be returning with exhaust full open, and this will be theconstant condition of the three, with but slight variations, so long asthe engine is run, for, as soon as the steam has been cut off from thepiston mentioned above as working under live steam, the piston returningand exhausting will have begun to receive live steam, and the pistonworking under expansion will have begun to return and exhaust, and soon.

The engine as thus constructed is well adapted as a street-car motor, orwhenever compactness and high power combined with perfect balancing anddurability are desirable.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination, with several cylinders placed side by side, andexhaust-chambers between them, of a casting secured over the ends of thecylinders, valve-seats formed in the casting, one for each cylinder,independent ports leading from the valve-seats to the cylinders andexhaust-chambers, steam-inlet ports leading from without into thevalveseats, and the rotary valves provided with steam-inlet andsteam-exhaust ports, substantially as set forth.

2.. The combination, with several cylinders placed side by side, andexhaust-chambers located between the cylinders, of a casting securedover the ends of the cylinders, taper valve-seats within the casting,taper rotary valves fitted to the seats, a steam-tight casing inclosingthe said casting, independent ports leading from the valve-seats to thecylinder and exhaust-chambers, independent ports through each of thevalves, and ports from without through'the casting to the valveseats,substantially as set forth.

3. The combination, with several cylinders placed side by side, andexhaust-chambers located between the cylinders, of a casting securedover the ends of the cylinders, taper valve-seats within the casting,tapered valves seated therein, pressure mechanism tending to force thevalve into its seat, and adjusting mechanism bearing against theopposite ends of the valves against said pressure, substantially as setforth.

4. The combination, with the several cylinders, the engine-shaft, andthe pistons con.- nected with the shafts, of a series of rotary valvesseated over the heads of the cylinders, a valve-operating shaft gearedwith the engine-shaft, cranks on the valveoperating shaft radiatingtherefro1n,arms on the valvestems, and connecting-rods loosely connectedwith the cranks and valve-stems, whereby the valves are rocked atregular intervals during the rotation of the valve-operating shaft,substantiallyas set forth.

5. The combination, with the several cylinders, their piston, and theengine-shaft, of the several valves, the valve-operating shaft connectedwith the valves and a sliding gearwheel on the valve-operating shaft ingear with the engine-shaft, the said sliding gearwheel having a rotaryand longitudinallysliding movement on the shaft, and means forlockingthe wheel to the shaft in different rotary adjustments relativelythereto to reverse the engine, substantially as set forth.

6. The combination, with the cylinder and the engine-shaft, of a pistonprovided with an interior cup-bushing, a cross-pin extending centrallythrough the piston about midway between its ends, and a piston-rodjournaled on the pin at one'end and on the engine-shaft at the oppositeend, substantially as set forth.

7. The herein-described engine, consisting, essentially, of the hollowbase provided with an outlet-overflow, the series of cylinders supportedupon the base with the exhaust-chambers between them, the castingcontaining the valve-seats and ports secured to the tops of thecylinders, the steam-chest inclosing the said casting, the engine-shaftjournaled on the base and supported between the cranks, thevalve-operating shaft geared to the engine-shaft, and the valvesconnected with cranks on the valve-operating shaft, substantially as setforth.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence oftwo subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES L. SNYDER.

WVitnesses:

M H. BROWN, A. H. Nrnss.

